Sep 29 2009
So, now that all the preparation is done—now what??? What do I do with all this duck under fat? How about…
How about this tasty number. Shredded Confit with linguini, cannellini, sundried tomatoes, garlic and cilantro—just to be sociable dust it with some parmesan cheese. Trust me you won’t be dissapointed and they might even hail you king of the villiage…
Sep 27 2009
—there was no screaming, that’s a Hollywood myth… (—I confirmed it on Snopes!)
Well, no screaming from the lambs anyway, my guest were screaming—in ecstasy! And if I could just say a couple things about the power of smell: O M Gah Gah Gah GOD!!! Ooh la lah!
Dinner:
Roasted double lamb chops topped with a crunchy garlic and mint breadcrumb crisp
Accompanied by a warm homemade peach and pear chutney with a hint of jalapeno
Roasted candied sweet potatoes and chilled salted string beans
I can’t tell you how many times I had to put my fork and knife down just to get every second of enjoyment by slowly chewing and savoring each and every bite—the perfect bite every time. Each bite of every mouthful, the flavors moving all over my mouth, washed down with the perfect local pinot noir—incorporating the dynamic flavors of the wine with the savory flavors of the seasoned lamb and chutney creating a whole new set of flavors. My tastebuds were in heaven savoring all the new wonderful flavors—WOW! Good stuff…
As I noticed I was coming to the end of my meal, (one of lifes,) one of MY greatest pleasures* I chewed more slowly, delaying gratification and prolonging my intense enjoyment…
—iChef
*(—I did say one of…)
Sep 26 2009
Okay, so it’s called Duck Confit…
But my first experience with this luscious dish of the gods included a chef with a sense of humor. She always called it cold feet and since then I do as well. Cold feet is duck that’s been cooked to perfection—soooo moist, soooo crisp, and soooo good! Cold Feet is the french’s answer to Peking Duck *perfect accompaniment—homemade peach chutney!
It’s a dish that’s all about the preparation. So what does that mean? It means that most of you will never even attempt it, which is fine because you can find it in many restaurants. It won’t be as good as mine, but it doesn’t have to be…
If you must: Lots of:
(marinate several broken down ducks for several days—no, not duck stuck on the side of the road…)
Then slowly cook for hours in a large pot submerged in the rendered duck fat
The duck covered in fat can now be stored (until final cooking) in the refrigerator (where it can stay forever or close to forever any way—never lasts that long…)
Final cooking phase is remove duck from under fat and crisp up the skin side in a saute pan—it will be hot when the skin is crisp!
The salad in the picture:
It’s almost all of the best flavors combined on the planet—it was freaking GOOOOOOD!
PS The Jets mug is my subtle shout out to my boys! Doin’ well so far, but they need to keep doing well…
Sep 25 2009
Roasted chicken, sausage, and salad…
simple and delicious—rack of lamb is on the docket for this weekend. I’m thinking the lamb will be convicted, incarcerated in my belly, and sinfully enjoyed…
Sep 21 2009
He would have called it the Gold of Naples, but the fish I’m using didn’t come from Naples, nor could you get some of the fish I used in Naples for my modest reproduction.
My grandfather was a proud man someone I should write a book about someday or at the very least include as a major character in a book. But that’s for another time…
My grandfather was a fantastic chef and was my inspiration to become a chef in the first place. He was also a wise man who somehow knew about life and making wise decisions. When I told him I was going to culinary school to be a chef he showed me his displeasure with his expression followed by his words telling me of the wrong decision I was making.He was right about the carer chef, but wrong about the art of being a chef.
And, he was wrong about it being a mistake of being a chef—it ended up being an unbelievable career (didn’t start out that way, but because if the start it did finish that way…) and I am very good at it. Part of it has to do with my palette that is completely God given—the ability to mix and combine flavors that the majority of the people love is truly a gift that I have—and I am thankful!
Tonight the combination of shellfish was the ticket to heaven: garlic, olive oil, basil, white wine, marinara, mussels, shrimp, scallops, and Alaskan king crab served up in a rich broth that a spoon! Soooooo Goooooood!!!
Sep 08 2009
Because Katie didn’t want the same thing…
Mussels, Sausage, Broccoli Rabe, Pasta—Sooooooo GooooooD!!!
With a little wine even better…
Sep 06 2009
…
O M !@% G !!!
Off the hook!
Lets just go over the list the ingredients: Olive oil, garlic, shaved prosciutto (that melted into the hot olive oil and then crisped up like . . . OMG!) Broccoli rabe, Italian sausage, clams, Sauvignon Blanc, some hot red pepper flakes, and a slice of butter just to be sociable…
Would go great over Orecchiette pasta (—Tyler Florence inspired…)
*Okay, you want to make people think you can cook? Have some garlic and or onions sauteing in olive oil when they walk in. They will think you can cook… Trust me!
—iChef
This dish is so freaken good I don’t even know where to start. Should I start at the garlic that has sweetened from the saute? Should I start at the perfect bitterness of the broccoli rabe? The sweet brininess of the clams? The roasted fennel sausage? Maybe, the salt from the crispy shaved prosciutto? Or was it the white wine I washed it down with or the subtle but gentle kick of heat from the red pepper? I just don’t know where.
Oh, I know, how about the warmed crusty crunchy Italian bread used to sop up every last drop of the rich melange of flavors melded into the garlicky clam sauce?
The idea was to have this over De Cecco Orecchiette pasta, but it was too late in the evening for that! But it won’t be tonight! I did have to eat all the clams and sauce—I only sampled the sausage and broccoli rabe…
Don’t forget dessert! A classic in my family is marinating fresh rip peaches in a nice Chianti—I had a ripe mango that I thought would be perfect (—it was!) to add cubed up and mixed in with the peaches and wine— marinating for the length of prep, cooking and dining was the perfect amount of time!
Yum!!!
Now, GO and DO!
*Tip—free!
Sep 03 2009
I had a fantastic sandwich for dinner tonight! I will give you the ingredients and tell you that the combination is off the HOOK!
Kaiser Roll toasted
Turkey roasted and sliced thin
Bacon roasted
Avocado mashed with a dash of Mayo, cilantro, and Tabasco
Thick slice of Gruyere cheese
Ohhhhhh my! Makes a nice sandwich!
Now, go and DO!
